Assen is going to introduce a knife ban for the center. Politicians want to discourage young people from entering the city with knives in their pockets, which is becoming increasingly common nationwide. To promote the feeling of safety, they want mayor Marco Out to adjust the general local ordinance (apv).
According to the parties, there is a national trend in which there is a sharp increase in the use of weapons and stabbing incidents among young people and increasingly younger perpetrators. The liberals and City Party PLOP also hear disturbed noises from the hospitality industry, the education field and welfare work.
National legislation is being drafted to further reduce gun ownership, but this legislation is taking too long, says Asser politicians. They therefore want to use the mayor’s power to ban knives or other stabbing weapons in public places.
“This power has not yet been used due to a limited number of incidents, but even a small number of incidents can have a major impact on the sense of security of residents of Assen,” the parties say. In March, VVD and city party PLOP already asked questions about a possible ban on knives. Then mayor Out saw no need, because according to him there was no disturbing number of stabbing incidents in Assen.
This was not enough for the parties. That is why they came to the city council tonight with a motion to introduce a ban on knives for the center. Assen Central wanted to go one step further, and have the ban broader than just the center. “But this step is in any case a good first”, said party chairman Jan Talens.
Mayor Out is now going to work on the ban on knives, but emphatically warns the parties that ‘that is not enough’. “Just saying it’s not allowed won’t solve the problem. You’re just saying ‘a knife is not welcome’. You can’t see if they have a knife with them. Preventive searches are necessary for that.”
According to Out, the ban on knives can only be enforced if the stabbing weapon is visibly present. “So when you indicate with the APV that it is not allowed, you are only taking a very small step.” Out also points to other useful measures, such as hand-in campaigns and possible locker checks at schools.
The mayor himself finds the behavior of the youth, by increasingly going out with weapons, ‘not normal’. In the coming year, Out wants to look further into the extent to which he can do more about this with the safety plan.